Public Domain
Borderline
1950 · Milton Sperling Productions / Universal Pictures · Dir. William A. Seiter
The Los Angeles police know that Pete Ritchie has been bringing drugs into the city, but they can't pin a single piece of evidence on him. After many botched attempts to get at the crook, they resort to having cop Madeleine go undercover and seduce her way into Ritchie's circle. Before she can get anywhere, she's abducted by Johnny, a government agent posing as a thug. But Johnny and Madeleine have no idea they're on the same side of the law.
Confidence
95
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the 1909 Copyright Act, works published in the United States between 1928 and 1963 required a copyright renewal filing during their 28th year of protection to maintain copyright. 'Borderline' was registered for copyright by Borderline Productions, Inc. on February 15, 1950 (registration number LP2921).
A thorough search of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries confirms that no renewal was filed for this registration during the mandatory 1977–1978 renewal window. Because the copyright expired at the end of its first 28-year term without renewal, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1979. The film is frequently cited in public domain filmographies (such as those by Film Superlist and various PD distributors) and is widely available for commercial use and public hosting on the Internet Archive due to this lapse.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (checked for registration LP2921)
- Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips (1950-1959)
- Hurst/Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940-1949/1950-1959)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.